New Delhi. Popularly dubbed as Taiwan’s “Cirque du Soleil, the Taiwanese entertainment troupe “Formosa Circus Art” performed in Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi on Saturday, July 6, attracting 700 people in the audience.
The theme of the performance of the nine-year-old troupe was “Taiwan, The Heart of Asia”.
The Heart of Asia is a fusion of Taiwanese acrobatics and creative performance with Western elements, together with Hakka and Taiwanese aboriginal music and dance, thus presenting a mixture of Taiwanese cultures.
With the perfect combination of the East and the West, tradition, and modernity, the troupe looks forward to sharing with its international audience the beauty of Taiwanese performance arts.
The Formosa Circus Art performed in Jakarta and Surabaya before moving on to India for performances. Chennai was the first stop and New Delhi the last lag in India.
The Formosa Circus Art troupe came to India from July 1 to July 6. India is the second cultural visit stop in a two-nation, Indonesia and India, tour organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as part of efforts to boost relations and cultural ties with countries targeted by the government’s New Southbound Policy.
The troupe has since produced shows that highlight Taiwan’s diverse culture and has toured more than 50 cities and 20 countries around the world to showcase its unique Taiwanese style entertainment.
According to Ambassador Representative Tien Chung Kwang, FOCA was chosen to represent the cultural diplomacy project because it embodies the hardworking Taiwanese spirit and has taken this unique spirit to the world stage.
The 75-minute “Taiwan, The Heart of Asia”, which incorporated the diabolo, cyr wheel, aerial silks and other circus skills with Hakka and Aboriginal music and dances deeply rooted in Taiwanese culture successfully gave Indian audiences a taste of Taiwan’s different cultures.
FOCA was formed by a group of the young generation born in the 1990s and it has a mixture of local and street cultures with theater arts to create a modern circus art form that belongs to Taiwan. It is also the only Taiwanese circus troupe to have been invited to the Festival of d’Avignon in France and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland.
Aside from trade between India and Taiwan, the cultural connection is equally important, Ambassador Tien said. Therefore, the purpose of the FOCA’s visit is to promote Taiwanese culture and closer bonds between India and Taiwan.
“This event brings many young professional artists to Indian audiences. It will be a great opportunity to bridge two peoples together,” Tien added.
The event was cosponsored by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Taiwan Chamber of Commerce in Delhi, Rotary Club of Delhi Garden City, and Taiwan External Development Council – TAITRA New Delhi Office.
